Former GOP Candidate Arrested For Being A Sore Loser, Slashing Opponent’s Tires

A former GOP candidate who was running for a US House of Representatives seat in 2012 is now in jail over accusations that he slashed the tires of at least one of his former opponents.

KOB reports that Gary Smith, who sought the GOP nod for New Mexico’s 1st District in 2012, was allegedly recorded by a surveillance camera slashing the tires of Janice Arnold-Jones’ car on December 20. An Albuquerque police detective who reviewed the footage said that the man in the video “did appear to be him [Smith].”

Smith lost the GOP nomination in 2012 after Arnold-Jones, his Republican opponent, filed a lawsuit claiming that Smith didn’t achieve enough signatures to be put on the ballot. The judge agreed, and Smith’s name was removed, reports The Raw Story.

“This is not politics,” Arnold-Jones said of the incident. “I know what it’s like when there is political retribution. You lose your bills, you lose your office, you lose your parking space, that’s none of this. This is an assault on my private property on our residence and I believe it’s by someone who is not very stable.”

According to law enforcement authorities, Smith may have slashed other opponents’ tires as well. Rhead Story, another Republican opponent who was instrumental in removing Smith from the race, said that he has replaced approximately 40 tires since June, costing him $2,500.

Though there’s nothing funny about the threatening destruction of one’s personal property, an exchange between KOB reporter Chris Ramirez and an arrested Smith, sitting in the back of a patrol car, was admittedly a bit humorous.

“I don’t even know what’s going on,” Smith said, when asked whether or not he slashed Arnold-Jones’s tires. “They haven’t explained anything to me yet. I don’t even know why they came to my house.”

“Well according to the arrest warrant you are being arrested because you were slashing Janice Arnold-Jones’ tires. Did you do it?” asked Ramirez.

“No, not at all,” replied Smith.

“What if we told you there was video of you doing that? Would you still say you’re not the person?” asked Ramirez.